Chase tops for the exhaust pipes of home fireplaces to prevent birds, squirrels, leaves, debris etc., have been around for quite a few years; however, the methods employed in the fabrication of such devices have been crude, antiquated, expensive and time consuming.
Most chase tops are either custom made in a sheet metal shop at great expense, or they are mass produced by bonding a separate collar to an apertured piece of sheet metal. In the first instance, the cost incurred is substantial due to the multiple stages in the fabrication, but balanced somewhat by the close tolerance fit which results. In the second instance, the end product is crude in appearance, usually has wide tolerances between the cooperating elements, but is relatively inexpensive since there are very few stages in the fabrication process.
There has been a long felt need by purchasers of chase tops for a well built, aesthetically pleasing chase top which can be produced inexpensively, in quantity, and in various sizes to accomodate exhaust pipes having a variety of circumferences. To date, there has not been a method or apparatus devised which can produce the desired end product. This fact has led to the development of the method and apparatus which forms the basis of this invention.